New device helps rescuers to detect heartbeat in rubble

NASA engineers have come up with a device that would result in making rescue operations much easier than they are right now.

This radar gun, which is capable of detecting heartbeat under a lot of concrete and even steel, picks up on the slightest of movements such as the breathing of an unconscious human being. The fascinating part is that the FINDER device can distinguish between the breathing of human beings from say, rats.

The Los Angeles Times explained the process saying, "Unlike the rubble, the victim is actually moving rhythmically. The chest rises and falls as the victim breathes, and moves from heartbeats- and the head moves as the veins on the scalp fill and empty out." The differences are created by these movements "when the waves bounce back, which the device can pick up."

Recent tests with the device in Virginia went well but an expert said it needs to provide the results more quickly.

Another potential use of the FINDER device is to find lost kids in the woods. The device is expected to be in the market by next summer or spring for $10,000.